Priorities
by LAIsobel
Summary: Set right after 03x01. I just had to. Sorry. Andy and Sullivan just broke my heart. Few chapters to pass the time till next episode. Shippy story.
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N** So let's start right where we left them. Why? Because my heart's bleeding and next episode is too far away. Two or three chapters to fill in the time.  
_

* * *

**Priorities**

While they drove to the next incident, they were all exhausted like hell. After the fire and then Joe's bar it was the last straw. Luckily it wasn't anything major. Just a car crash, four victims with cuts and bruises, no life threatening injuries, just metal to cut and oils to contain. It was over pretty soon and they all were glad they would finally get some sleep and get a chance to rest.

Andy and Maya were driving together and both were silent. Each was lost in thoughts. Andy was the first one to break the this time uncomfortable silence.

"Do you believe me?" She asked Maya.

"What?"

"Do you believe me that I didn't sleep with him?" She asked her friend again. "You're my best friend and I just need to know if you believe me."

Maya hesitated.

"Maya?"

"Yeah, I believe you. But…"

"But what?"

"But something happened between you two and I have never seen you like this. So the question is what happened." Maya said and let Andy think if she wanted to answer or not. Andy didn't really know what to say to that.

Well she could have probably told her about the kiss after L.A., she could tell her about how close she came to actually sleeping with her Captain and be the slut of the station as everyone seemed to believe now anyway. But she couldn't really tell her what happened because she didn't know. She still didn't know why he had sent her away.

Maya wanted to say something but they were already back at the Station and so she stayed silent. As they exited the cars Andy asked her if she was going home or over to Jack.

"Definitely not." Jack answered as he heard them when he was passing by.

"Why?" Andy asked.

"You didn't tell her, Bishop?" He asked Maya and she visibly winced.

"What's going on?" Asked Vic who heard them and stopped by.

"Ask your friend." Jack answered and with a shake of her head Maya left without saying anything.

"Jack, what's going on?" Andy asked him again.

"She dumped me."

"You're kidding." Hughes replied.

"Nope."

"But I thought you two were for real."

"Yeah, I thought so too but apparently her career is more important."

"What are you talking about?"

"They're about to name new Chief."

"Yeah, I know. And there will be promotions and changes." Andy said, already hating that fact herself.

"Exactly. So it seems Bishop set her priorities." He said, his voice betraying how affected he was by it.

Andy felt really sad and exhausted and when she saw Sullivan passing by she felt painful squeeze around her heart.

"She's not the only one." She replied and only Vic noticed she was looking at Sullivan. She was about to ask her but Andy quickly hugged Jack and said she was sorry. He was taken aback by that and just watched her leave as she made her way out of the garage.

"That was…" Vic tried to find the right words.

"Weird."

"A bit, yeah."

"She okay?" He asked and Vic just shrugged. She knew Andy was heartbroken over someone and of course she noticed the tension between her and Sullivan but she refused to believe that they just slept together as the rumor mill said. No, there was something else going on.

"Hey, you okay?" She asked Gibson then.

"No, not really." He answered. "I need to get some sleep." He said and left to take a shower and go home.

Back home Andy was so exhausted that she just wanted to drink her tea and go to bed. She had a week off after all so she could just get some sleep and try to get her emotions under control. She felt like she was spinning around, she couldn't find the point that would keep her steady on her feet. It all just spiraled out of control and she was lost.

Ever since L.A. things just kept on getting worse and worse and worse. Her life was not her own anymore. She lost her friends, she lost her crew, she lost her Captain, she lost her father and now she didn't have a job. It was just for a week, sure, but still it felt like she had nothing left to fight for. Tears were rolling down her cheeks silently when Maya came home finally.

She stopped in the kitchen as she saw Andy there. When Andy turned around and faced her, Maya did something Andy would have never expected her to do. She smirked.

"Are you seriously crying?"

"Maya…" Andy didn't have the energy to fight.

"You know what? You should get your head straight."

"What?"

"So what? You have a crush on your Captain and he doesn't want you. So get over it. Move on. Stop fussing and stop screwing up your own career."

"Really? Says the one who broke it off with someone she loved so she could get her promotion?" Andy asked back, hurt and angry.

"You don't know what you're talking about."

"So tell me. Tell me why did you break it off with Jack? Because I know you care about him and I know him well enough to know that he cares about you. A lot."

"You don't know anything about us."

"Maybe I don't… but I know you and all you ever do is run." Andy shot back and Maya was visibly hurt by that comment. It cut way too close to home.

"You have no right to judge me."

"I'm not judging you. I'm just worried you're making a big mistake."

"Wanting to get promoted is a mistake?"

"Losing someone you love over promotion is a mistake." Andy rephrased that sentence and Maya stood there in shock.

"Oh my God." Maya said then and sat down on the edge of the couch. "You really do love him." She told Andy and Andy just put her mug into the sink and turned around to leave.

"Andy…" Maya said again but Andy left and walked into her room. Lying down she got under the covers and fell asleep almost instantly, tears on her face not even dried out.

Maya stayed in the living room and couldn't stop thinking. A lot of things changed and although Andy was her best friend, the only person that could really understand her, there drifted apart a lot and now the gap between them seemed too wide to cross.

Maya didn't make herself tea. She took a shot of Vodka and went to bed as well. She was too exhausted to think and there was small part of her nudging her that she indeed had made a mistake with Gibson and she was determined to silence that part.

Vic and Montgomery left together as he didn't really feel like being alone and Vic had no plans as Jackson was still in the hospital, taking extra shift, helping their residents and staff that had been hurt in the bar.

"Have you heard?" She asked him.

"About what?"

"Bishop dumped Gibson."

"No way." Montgomery didn't believe that. "Why?"

"Promotion coming up…" Vic replied and Montgomery knew that in Maya's case it was possible.

"So things will get even weirder now." Vic said and he just threw a french-fry at her.

"What? It's true. Andy and Sullivan can't stand each other. Now Gibson and Bishop. Miller's all heartsick over Nikki. Then you and your deaf boyfriend coming for a visit only once in two months. So. Weird." Vic summarized.

"You're sick and evil woman." Travis replied and she just grinned.

"Hey, Vic, do you think they actually… you know…"

"Who did what? Bishop and Gibson or Herrera and Sullivan?" Vic asked and Travis just rolled his eyes.

"Herrera and Sullivan. Something had to happen."

"Yeah, something in L.A. but don't ask me what. But you heard the rumors."

"Yeah and that's why I'm asking you if you really think they slept together." Travis didn't give up and tried to question her again. Vic needed a moment to think.

"I don't think so."

"Really?"

"Yeah. There's tension there but more the Romeo and Juliet kind of tension."

Travis didn't really know what to say. He sighed then. "You're right. Things get even weirder." And they finished their food before catching up on some sleep.

Sully stayed in his office and watched everyone go. Andy looked at him when she was passing by his office as she always did and what he saw this time made his heart bleed. She was so different, so … she was broken. He had never seen her so broken.

He knew he did the right thing. He knew they would never make her Captain if they were together. He knew that it wasn't fair but what was he supposed to do?

He had to think about it hard and long, even during those couple days in hospital after coming back from L.A. He had to think about it every single day when he tried to push her away, when he watched her being hurt and confused, when he started to notice she was fading away right there in front of him. She was the perfect officer of course and tried her best but after Ben's firehouse baby party things just changed and not for the better.

As she came willingly into his arms and he felt his own body relax in her proximity, he knew she had been right before. He did fell in love with her. Body, mind and soul, her heart. He was so screwed and so scared that he didn't even dare to touch her because one skin on skin contact and he would forget all about his reasons and just bring her to him, he would hug her and hold her, he would inhale her scent and taste her skin, he would kiss her even there in the garage God be damned.

When she told him Ripley would have probably told him to screw the regs he had to smile. Yeah, he probably would have. But Ripley's situation was different to his. Oh he missed him terribly now, he wanted to talk about this, he needed to talk about this and there was nobody he could call and grab a beer with to actually talk about this. He was closer to his crew, true but he couldn't really talk about this to Warren or Montgomery now could he?

He was frustrated and said and knew he couldn't do anything to make it better. He was harsh on her earlier when he told her to take the week off. He knew. But when she started to reason with him, when she tried to offer him choices that wouldn't put his promotion into jeopardy, he realized that she was in deep and was serious. It wasn't just affair on adrenalin rush for her, it was more. And he couldn't really do that. No, he had think about it and knew that this was not going to happen. They both had their careers and relationship between them was just a stupid idea. It would pass. It had to.

But there was a part of him that wanted to run after her just as he saw her worn out eyes as she was leaving the station. There was a part of him that wanted to make things right and better. And he was scared of that part. So he had to bury it deep.

He knew that the next days would be difficult. He overheard about Bishop dumping Gibson, he would bet she saw the same promotion opportunity and didn't want to take any chances. He just hoped it wouldn't affect the station, he would hate to transfer one of them to other station. And of course he heard the rumor mill at Joe's bar about Captain Herrera thinking the unit was too soft now, that it took them too long to get in there. So things would have to change. For their own good.

So he decided to focus on that.

And on not thinking about his Lieutenant all the time which seemed to be harder and harder for some reason.


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N** I wasn't sure if to continue… I wasn't sure if this story should have happy ending… And I am still not sure so let's just see where it goes._

* * *

When the morning came Sullivan was wide awake long before dawn. His head was overwhelmed with thoughts, ideas and worries. Everything in him rang the warning bells and he was powerless. He just had to get up when the alarm clock started to beep and go to the Station. He had to go and face his crew and figure out how to make things better, how to make things right again.

When he arrived he noticed Gibson and Miller in the gym. He greeted them and they just replied and wished him a good morning. They seemed fine. Warren was in the beanery making coffee.

"Morning, Sir." He greeted Sullivan and automatically handed him a cup.

"Morning. How did it go yesterday?" He asked back. "How are they?"

"All good. Recovery will take time but they'll be okay." Warren replied.

"I'm glad."

"Yeah, me too."

"Warren? I heard. I'm sorry, really." Sullivan said and Warren just sighed and took a sip of the coffee.

"I blamed myself you know?"

"Why?" Sullivan asked back, leaning against the counter.

"I thought the stress from me not making it to Medic One did the damage. It was irrational but I really thought…" Warren tried to explain.

"I can understand that."

"Really?"

"When Claire had that accident it took us a long time to get to the scene. I thought that if we made it there sooner we would have saved her."

"But her condition…"

"Yeah… I blamed myself for not driving faster and I blamed Luke for giving her the medicine. It took me a long time to forgive him and even longer to forgive myself." He said sincerely.

"I'm sorry, Sir."

"Look, if you need to go home and be with your wife…"

"Thank you, Sir but there's no need."

"Okay. Just let me know if there's anything I can do."

"Will do, thank you." Ben replied and Sullivan left. He was surprised Ben actually talked to him but they were getting along well for last couple of months, well since their sparring session before Warren told him about his plan to make it to Medic One. And now he felt really sorry for him. Going through miscarriage had to be hard on him, he was really excited about the baby.

Montgomery met him on the stairs along with Hughes. They smiled at him and he wished them good morning. So far things seemed rather good at the Station and he was glad. The last person to arrive was Bishop. She seemed on edge and he could only guess it was because of what happened between her and Gibson. He didn't want to know any details. There were boundaries and he absolutely respected them. He just hoped that those two would work it out. He would hate to have to interfere. Well, truthfully he was surprised when he heard about their break-up because they seemed to be serious about the relationship but well, he was definitely no expert.

The crew met in the beanery and Maya didn't really feel okay there. She greeted them and they all noticed the cold shoulder from Gibson. They all knew by then that they were not together anymore. But it was hard to believe it. They didn't want to ask any questions but they were curious. Maya was mostly silent, just an observer to her crew.

Sullivan surprised them when he joined them up in the beanery. He was in his uniform and had a folder in his hand.

"Morning everyone." He greeted them and they all sat down at the table. He noticed there was a slight tension there but so far he couldn't really say anything.

"Sir." They greeted him.

"Listen up everyone."

"Aren't we going to wait for Herrera?" Hughes asked.

"She's not coming." Maya said.

"Why?" Montgomery asked. "Is she okay?"

"She's taking a week off." Sullivan said.

"Is she sick?" Vic asked.

"No." Maya said. "She's sleeping." She added.

"Hey." Sullivan called for attention. He so didn't want to talk about her. It was the one thing he hoped for. "We had a tough day yesterday. Two major calls and then the car accident. So we made an arrangement and the dispatch won't be sending us on calls today. We're just a back-up to 23 and we try to get some rest, do the maintenance and re-stocking, the usual chores."

They all got their chores, talked about what was needed. Sullivan watched them and noticed two things. The usual banter was gone. He could only guess it had something to do with Gibson and Bishop. And the second thing was that they actually didn't give a second thought to Andy. Was she right before? Did she lose all her friends because of what she had been going through the past weeks, well, months?

As they grew silent he had another thing to say and knew that this wouldn't be so well accepted.

"Anything else, Sir?" Warren asked.

"Yes. I won't go into details but there's been concern about our performance, not about the time of response but on the call."

"What do you mean, Sir?"

"I mean that it took us quite a long time to secure the header, get into the car and get into the bar. So once we're done with what we've talked about, we'll have some additional training, people. We go over the incident reports and we find out weak spots. We go over them and we do better." He said and was afraid there would be a riot on his hands.

The crew looked around, everyone one of them thinking, looking at each other and they all seemed to be thinking about it.

"Who was concerned, Sir?" Bishop asked him then. And it was his turn to look uncomfortable.

"Captain Herrera." He answered and knew that for this crew that would a blow under the belt. And he was right.

He knew it was pointless to talk more so he just nodded and left without saying anything else. He had his own work to do and hoped his people would do theirs. He wasn't really happy about having to go through everything with them but he saw no other choice. If he failed and his own personal issues affected the crew he had to fix it. He was proud of his crew and didn't want anyone to doubt their capabilities. He was their Captain and they were his responsibility. And he was not about to fail them. Not again.

Back in the beanery the crew was silent.

"Hey, when did Herrera took a week off for the last time?" Vic asked.

"She never takes a day off let alone a week." Gibson said.

"Hey, Bishop, is she okay?" Vic asked Maya and was surprised when Maya just shrugged.

"I don't know."

"You live together."

"Yeah but I can't read her thoughts." Maya shot back.

"You didn't talk to her?"

"No. I didn't. She was tired and went to bed yesterday when I got home." She answered and hoped they would leave it at that. She left the room and so did Warren. Things were weird there when they didn't focus on work.

"I don't like it." Montgomery said and Miller agreed. But there was nothing they could do.

"Maybe she's really just tired." Vic said but the look Montgomery gave her spoke volumes, he didn't believe her.

"Yeah, maybe." He replied and Miller just shrugged and left. He had enough on his plate already with Gibson and Bishop breaking up.

"I'll check up on her after shift." Vic said and Montgomery agreed that it was a good idea.

The day was actually uneventful. There were no major calls so they weren't needed. They actually enjoyed the time at the Station, just cleaning up, restocking and doing repairs.

Some of them were thinking about Andy. They realized that their normally open friend had closed them off, that she seemed to be sad and worn out recently. They all noticed the change and they all were worried. But as she didn't want to talk they didn't pressure her and maybe it was a mistake.

Vic had a different approach. She knew Andy was hurting, she knew there was someone else involved. She did. But she didn't know how to help her. When Jackson called and asked her if she wanted to go out and grab a drink in the evening, she asked him if she could bring Andy along, that she needed to get out and clear her head. He had no problem with that. Maya just hoped Andy would agree.

Sullivan missed her. He missed seeing her in the morning, he missed her dropping by at his office, bringing him snacks, he missed hearing her laugh with her friends and he missed her just looking at him with that small smile on her lips. He. Missed. Her. But all the more he was sure that this was for the better. The crew was not okay and he would have a lot to do.

He exhaled and started on the paperwork he had on his desk.

Andy back home slept in. She woke up at the time she normally would but as she realized she didn't have to get up, she for once decided not to wake up. So she just pulled the covers higher, snuggled into her pillow, closed her eyes and heard Maya knocking on her door.

"Hey, you coming?"

"No." Andy replied and just waited for sleep to claim her.

Maya wasn't sure she heard her right but as there were no sounds coming from Andy's room, she just left. She had her head full of worries and didn't need to add more to it.

Andy woke up at 10 o'clock and couldn't believe she slept so late. But truth to be told, she needed it. She was so exhausted both mentally and physically that she just didn't want to get up at all. But she was hungry. So she didn't even bother with changing from her pj's. She came to the kitchen, made herself some coffee, French toast and bowl of fruit and grabbing a comforter she bunked on the couch, turned on the TV and tried to just relax.

Well it didn't take her long till she started to think about the crew from 19, about their day and about the calls they would have to answer. She started to think about her chores and the station, she started to think about Sullivan. And that was a road to hell.

He made it clear he wasn't interested. He claimed it was to protect her and her possible promotion but when she offered him alternative courses of action he dismissed her. She still heard him telling her to take a week off. His harsh words about her trying to at least pretend she respected him were cutting pretty deep.

Didn't he know she respected him? He was her Captain!

But her father seemed to think the same. He said it after all, that she had no respect to tradition and authorities, she had no respect for her own father. That argument left deep gashes on her soul and her father's words the day before at the bar did nothing to heal those. Quite the opposite. It was difficult and she wasn't sure about what to do.

She needed options. She needed to find a way how to deal with it. For weeks, well for months she hoped they would find a way. She let him push her away and didn't ask any questions. For months she let him throw her looks and then retreating back. She let him touch her occasionally when they were standing close to each other in the beanery or passing each other on the catwalk over the garage. She felt it. She knew she did. She felt him response.

She couldn't understand what happened. What happened when they were actually about to have sex? What happened after that? What happened that he pushed her away? What happened that she allowed that situation to cast such a dark shadow over her friendship with the crew? What happened that she had to listen to her father being brutally angry at her? What happened that her best friend wouldn't believe her? Did she let it happen? How was it possible that she didn't notice earlier?

She felt so lonely she could as well start crying again and she knew that it was not the solution she needed. But things seemed dark and she was so tired. So she did the only thing that made sense to her. She crawled back into bed and tried to get some more sleep. Maybe, just maybe, she was just really tired and would figure it out later, once rested and free of all those dark exhausting emotions.

In the evening she had to answer the door as there was someone ringing the bell like crazy. It was Vic. She looked at Andy and couldn't believe what she saw.

"You look like crap, Herrera."

"Hey, Vic." Andy said and didn't even protest when Vic simply passed around her into the living room.

"Okay, so take a shower, get dressed and you're coming with me."

"Vic…" Andy tried to protest.

"Look, I don't know what happened or why. But you're in a dark place and you don't want to stay there, trust me. So let's take you out."

"I'm really not in the mood, Vic." Andy tried again.

"What did he do?" Vic asked instead.

"Who?" Andy wasn't following.

"The imbecile that made you feel like this." Vic answered and watched her friend carefully. Andy didn't want to talk about it, didn't want to put more pressure and strain on the already damaged relationship and on Sullivan's relations with the crew but she felt like she needed to say it out loud. Will Vic believe her or will she be like Maya?

"His career comes first."

"Like what?" Vic asked, sitting down on the armrest of the couch.

"Like he doesn't want to be with me because it would endanger his promotion." Andy clarified and felt the weight sitting down on her chest again.

"He told you this?"

"No, he didn't. But that's the bottom line so why would it matter." Andy replied and wiped away another tear. God she hadn't cried like this since losing her mother. It was like all her tears just decided to take a trip.

"You care about him." Vic said then gently.

"Yes."

"And you thought he cares about you too."

"Yes."

"Something happened but he decided to end it."

"Yes." Andy replied again and left to hide in her room. She wasn't sixteen anymore but everything just felt too much right then. She lied on the bed and hated herself for being so weak and so emotional over a man.

Vic called Jackson, apologized to him and then took off her shoes and jacket. She walked to Andy's room, knocked, lied down next to her and just stayed there.

"Let it out, Andy." She said.

"What?" Andy asked, her voice wobbly and stained with tears.

"All those tears and emotions, let it out. Don't hold back. Trust me." Vic said and Andy remembered what Vic said about dealing with grief. She wanted to fight this but she lost the battle. And so she cried till she had nothing to cry over left. She was spent and she felt embarrassed.

"Vic…"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you." Andy replied.

"Yeah… don't worry about it." Vic said and Andy smiled at her softly. "You wanna talk about it?"

"No." Andy said.

"Okay." Vic replied and Andy was grateful that Vic didn't try to push. She did feel better actually although she was tired as hell.

"Will you be okay?"

"I have to be." Andy said.

"Look, I know you don't want to but if you're up to it we can go out tomorrow. Hm?" Vic offered and Andy agreed.

"Okay. Yeah, why not."

"And in a week you'll go back to work, you hear me?"

"Why?" Andy didn't understand the urgency.

"Because Bishop and Gibson are driving us crazy and Sullivan is trying to destroy us with drills and incident reports." Vic replied and although she didn't miss the change in Andy's breathing when she mentioned Sullivan, she didn't say anything about it.

Andy thanked her and walked her out. Maya still wasn't home and Andy for once didn't care. Not after what happened. She took a shower, had some dinner and went back to bed. One part of her felt lighter, better while the other felt the weight of the consequences of her decision crushing her.


	3. Chapter 3

_Angst warning... not a nice one to read but I'm beginning to see the bigger picture - and the unicorns by the end of the rainbow here!_

* * *

By the end of the shift Sullivan knew he would have to interfere. Gibson and Bishop were obviously not on friendly terms. He so hated it. It was their personal thing and he didn't want to know anything. He trusted them to keep it outside the Station. Well not that he would be the example they needed. But still they couldn't keep it up like this because sooner or later one of them would make a mistake that could very well cost some other firefighter a life. And he couldn't allow that.

So he called them both to his office and asked them to close the door. They both stood there with their heads up and they both had an idea about what brought this on.

Sullivan sat down on the edge of his desk, facing them. He didn't want to be hard and he didn't want to look too mad or cold. He wished there was a training for handling such situations.

"I guess you both know why you are here." He said.

"Yes, Sir." They both answered in unison.

"So. Whatever happened between you two is none of my concern till it starts affecting the team and the Station."

"Sir." Gibson tried to say something but stopped as Sullivan shot him a look.

"I'm going to ask just once. Can you two work together as you did before your romantic relationship or do I have to make personal changes?" He asked and noticed he surprised them both. Well it was the only solution he came up with that would make sense.

"You would ask to transfer one of us?" Maya asked him.

"Yes."

"But Sir…" She tried.

"Bishop. Your personal issues can't affect you in the field. You have to be on the top of your game and from what I saw today you're not. So I don't care about how much you both like it here. Understood?" He asked and Maya nodded.

"Yes, Sir." She answered and wanted to say something else but didn't.

"So. Can you work together or do I have to ask at which Station they're in need of a Lieutenant?" he asked and looked at them both.

"I'm sorry, Sir. It won't happen again." Jack said and Sully waited for Bishop to say something too.

"If you have something to say, Bishop, then say it." Sullivan prompted as he could tell she was fighting really hard not to say it. He stood up and stood there right in front of her, intimidating and strong, showing her that he was the Captain. Maya stood her ground.

"Nothing, Sir." Maya said in the end and they both knew that there was something bubbling up under the surface.

"Go home, get some sleep and when you come in here tomorrow I want you to work together. If not, one of you goes." He said. They both stood in attention like during line-up and didn't really know how to do that.

Jack was hurt as expected and the crew stood behind me, they had his back, nobody understood Maya's decision to end it. They all thought she was serious about him after everything she had done for him. Nobody could believe the story about her wanting to stay clear from anything and everything that could hold her back from getting promoted. And they both felt the tension.

"Sir…"

"Do you need anything, Gibson?" Sullivan asked, his voice back to normal and his posture showing no signs of the tough Captain that stood there in front of them just a minute ago.

"Is it true they're making you battalion chief?" Gibson asked.

"It's one of the possibilities, yes."

"So they would name a new Captain of 19."

"Yeah. I have three Lieutenants here so one could get promoted or there could be someone new. I don't know. It's not entirely up to me to decide that." Sullivan told him. Gibson nodded. Maya still stood there silently.

"Gibson? Everything okay?" Sully asked now curious where was Gibson going with this. "If you're worried you're out of the question due to your PTSD, you don't have to. That doesn't matter. You got over it." Sullivan tried to assure him.

"We all know who's gonna be named Captain." Maya said then, unable to contain her thoughts any longer.

"Care to explain that, Bishop?" Sully asked, now back to mad captain mode.

"You talk to us about keeping personal things out of here and you break that rule yourself."

"You should be careful, Lieutenant." Sully warned her. Gibson was just watching silently, not believing what was happening.

"You want Andy to be Captain of 19." She said and at that point he had just enough.

"Chose carefully what you say, Bishop. I suggest you go home and think about how you're going to handle yourself here because you're the last named Lieutenant and therefore the first one to be transferred. Ripley approved your stay but that doesn't mean that's permanent. Are we clear?" Sully asked her, his voice icy and she felt shivers down her spine.

"Yes, Sir." She said. "Permission to leave, Sir."

"You're dismissed." He replied and Maya left the office, barely keeping herself from slamming the door behind her. What the hell just happened? Why did she say that? Why did she have to push him? What the hell was wrong with her? She was torn and needed to get out.

Gibson stood there and wasn't really sure about what to do.

"Unless you have something to say as well, you can go, Gibson." Sully said, calmer again.

"Actually…" Jack tried and had to think about it because the line he was walking on was very thin. "Can I speak freely, Sir?" He asked instead and Sully was surprised. Well, nothing could make things worse so why the hell not.

"Sure. What's on your mind?"

"Bishop was right about one thing. Whatever happened between you and Andy reflected here."

"And what do you think happened, hm?" Sully asked, annoyed as hell because he knew that everyone thought he had sex with Andy and that it turned them into … this.

"I don't know, Sir, but I know her, Sir. I know her well."

"Yeah, I'm aware." Sully replied and scolded himself for sounding jealous. Damn what was his problem? Gibson noticed and realized that his boss knew about the relationship he used to have with Andy.

"She's broken, Sir. I have never seen her like this. So whatever you said did a lot of damage."

"Gibson…" Sully warned him.

"She said it herself. It's about priorities. Bishop picked the possible promotion over me. And what about you, Sir? Did you do the same? Because if you did, you're an idiot." Gibson said and Sully couldn't believe his own ears.

"So you think I what? Used her and then pushed her away to get promoted?" Sully asked out of clear curiosity, anger rising in him.

"No, Sir. I think you care about her more than you are ready to accept and so you hide behind your promotion." Gibson said and knew he should probably leave soon. "I will make it work with Bishop but the question is if you can make it work with Andy. Because you know, she'll either try too hard, screw up and get hurt or she'll start being careless and so she would screw up and get hurt."

"Do you have a scenario where she doesn't get hurt?" Sully asked and Gibson just smiled at him in a very strange way.

"Well, you fix what you asked me and Bishop to fix." Gibson said and Sully didn't even know what to reply to that. He certainly didn't see this coming.

"If you do care about her, don't be an idiot." Gibson said with a smile and left the office before Sullivan had a chance to say something.

Well, he was right about one thing. Sullivan did a lot of damage and he knew it. And trying to fix it by telling her to take the week off was maybe just quite the opposite of what he should have done. Boy he was exhausted.

His evening got even better when Pruitt Herrera came to his office later once everyone from the first shift was gone.

"Sir?"

"Who the hell you think you are, Sullivan?" Pruitt asked, visibly angry.

"Herrera…" Sullivan tried to use his don't mess with me tone but it didn't work one bit on Pruitt.

"You sleep with my daughter and then what, huh? What the hell did you do?"

"Respectfully, Sir, you should stop now."

"Oh no, I won't stop. You did a lousy job yesterday and you know it. It took you too long to get into that bar. And today? I call and asked about the crew and I find out my daughter is taking a week off?"

"Yes, she is. And we already went over the incident reports with crew, thanks for tip." Sullivan answered sarcastically. He was too tired for this.

"I had your for someone else when I asked Ripley to bring you back, Sullivan."

"If that's all, Sir." Sullivan replied politely.

"You son of a bitch. If you can't keep your pants zipped you shouldn't be here."

"That's enough!" Sullivan raised his voice.

"No, we're just getting started." Pruitt shot back.

"No, we're done. You have no right coming here and talking to me like this. Whatever did or did not happen between me and Andy is none of your business." Sullivan replied, angry. He just had enough.

"It's very well my business. She's my daughter, she's my legacy!"

"You don't have to worry about your legacy because your daughter is hell of a good officer."

"Who sleeps with her Captain." Pruitt added.

"Don't make me regret respecting you, Pruitt." Sullivan warned him and it was something Pruitt didn't see coming. "She'll make it to Captain."

"And people will always question how she did it."

"They won't."

"Of course they will." Pruitt tried to argue. "And I don't want to die watching her losing everything just because of you."

"What?" Sullivan didn't understand.

"I'm dying you son of a bitch and I won't let you screw my daughter's career." Pruitt said and Sullivan didn't know what to say. Emotions were leaving them quickly, they both stood there and both were read to fight.

"Pruitt…"

"No, we're not talking about that. We're talking about you sleeping with my daughter."

"I didn't sleep with her." Sullivan replied. "And I'm tired of the rumors."

"Well you started them so don't be so surprised." Pruitt told him, still mad.

"I didn't sleep with her. I fell in love with her." Sullivan admitted and sat down to his chair, not looking at Pruitt. He was so worn out he could barely keep his eyes open. Could this day end?

"What did you just say?" Pruitt asked. Sullivan didn't answer.

"If you have nothing more to accuse me of…" Sullivan offered but Pruitt was so taken aback that he had no words for him.

Pruitt left Sullivan's office without another word and Sullivan felt like he was run over by a truck with bricks. Or maybe a tractor. Or airplane.

He felt his emotions boiling in his veins, he felt tears in his eyes and his heart was beating so madly his chest felt like it would burst. Damned!


	4. Chapter 4

_**A/N** Don't hate me. Don't hate me. Don't hate me.. Pretty please. One or two chapters to go, hopefuly will finish tonight (Czech time heh)._

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Andy woke up with terrible headache. How did Vic call it? Emotional hangover? But she felt lighter somehow, like the dead heavy weight wasn't on her shoulders anymore. Maybe all the crying the previous day was helpful. She was sad and she missed Sullivan. She missed his smile, his laughter, she missed the way he would look at her when nobody was watching. She missed how he called her name and most of all she missed the feeling of his arms around her. That was addictive. She felt so safe, so comfortable, his big hands so gentle. When he hugged her she could disappear in his arms, hide in his chest and she felt like nothing and nobody could harm her. Every time she would just close her eyes and enjoy the warmth spreading through her body.

She also missed the idea of the two of them. Ever since Maya pointed out that it seemed like something had been going on back in the bar after the funeral she had to admit she had started to think about it. About him. About them. She went through all her memories and feelings, she tried to recall all those small moments they shared and slowly she realized that there indeed had been something going on.

And when they nearly died in L.A., when they jumped into that pool it hit her square in the chest. She had feelings for him. She liked him. She worried about him. She didn't want him to die. And she didn't want him to watch her die. She enjoyed all the time the spent together in the gym and over coffees, she enjoyed their dinners and early breakfasts when they were alone at the Station and he was trying to bond with her and find his way to the crew.

Andy was heartbroken because she fell in love and it was probably for the first time. If she wouldn't count those few nights with random lovers she actually had two serious relationships. One with Gibson and one with Tanner. But she didn't love Gibson, she liked him, yes, enjoyed the time with him, yes, but when they parted it didn't hurt like this. She could move on relatively easily and so she realized that she was comfortable with him but that she didn't love him. With Tanner it was more complicated as they were friends and they tried dating. But as she thought he could be the one she could fall in love with, he started seeing Jenna and suddenly things were so different for them. And she did miss him but only as a friend. Her childhood friend.

She never felt what she felt about Sullivan. One part of her regretted the fact that they didn't spend the night together for whatever reason he had but the other part was grateful because it made this completely different. But of course there was the small part she decided to bury deep down and forget about it, the part that absolutely melted when he touched her, the part that knew that when he kissed her, her knees buckled under her and that when he touched her under her t-shirt her skin was burning and her insides were turning into a puddle of goo. No man has ever had such effect on her. Maybe it was just because he was the forbidden fruit but she doubted that. No, she was pretty sure – and that scared her – that it was because of her feelings.

And so she would always wonder how it would be between them, how it would feel, how he would make her feel. Her body was longing for him and that was the only part she knew she would have to work on because seeing him in the gym at the station or just in his uniform, walking around his office… oh damn she was lost.

He asked her to take time to find out how to pretend she respected him. She didn't have to pretend. She did respect him. He was her Captain and she knew her place and her duties. And she was ready to prove him she could do her job and get promoted even without his help. She was actually mad about that. How could he think she would want him to help with her promotion…?

She would have to go back to the Station and forget everything she felt. She would go there and be the perfect Lieutenant 19 deserves. She would make him proud. She would make her father proud. Which reminded her that she still needed to talk to him because he didn't answer her question. What was he doing at that bar? Warren said they met at the hospital and as he just found out about the baby her father just accompanied him to the bar to drink away a bit of the anger and sorrow. But something about that didn't feel right. She wasn't really looking forward to that conversation to be honest.

She had a nice day. She needed some new work-out clothes and new shoes, she needed to do some grocery shopping and she wanted to take a walk, she had lunch in town and she actually managed not to jump to attention every time she heard the sirens passing someplace close.

When she came back home later in the afternoon Maya was there.

"Hey."

"Hey." They said and that was it.

Andy walked to the kitchen to put away the groceries and Maya just stood there and watched her. She wasn't sure about how to approach it but she hated the situation between them. They were friends. Best friends. This was killing her.

Andy knew Maya was trying to say something but honestly? She was still mad at her for hurting Jack and for acting like a bitch the other day that she just walked past her to her room. She needed to get changed and ready, Vic was picking her up in an hour for a drink she promised her.

When Maya saw her she was curious.

"You going somewhere?"

"Yeah, I promised Vic we would get a drink together." Andy said. One small part wanted to ask Maya to come along but the other, much bigger, didn't want to. It was making her sad and she felt horrible but this time she was not about to take a step back and let Maya have her way. She owed her at least an apology and Andy would wait for it. Maya had no right treat her like that…

Maya watched Andy leave and was really mad. The girls simply ruled her out. But then she realized that she did that herself. It was so difficult to make them understand her reasons. Or no? The stupid thing was that she missed Gibson. She felt good with him and she was sure that in time there could be some really deep feelings aside from the affection she felt now. She did care about him but when they started to talk about the promotions she just snapped and everything in her shifted and focused on a new goal as she had been trained. And now she was lonely and her crew hated her and she lost her best friend. Did Andy feel like this when they all thought she had slept with Sullivan?

Vic and Andy arrived to a bar. Vic promised they would just have a nice evening and Andy agreed. Vic then looked a bit guilty.

"What?"

"Jackson will stop by."

"Vic." Andy wasn't too thrilled.

"I'm sorry. We were supposed to meet yesterday but I cancelled and I we haven't really talked since the bar." Vic tried to explain.

"So you're meeting your hot doctor lover."

"Are you mad?"

"No. Just don't think you're gonna leave me here all alone and disappear with him." Andy joked and Vic just grinned at her.

"He's a good guy."

"I know. I've heard." Andy said. She did hear good things about him from people at the hospital. Well, along with some bad ones including the nasty break-up with Maggie. But who didn't have those in their history, huh.

When Jackson came he looked apologetically.

"What did you do?" Vic asked as she saw him.

"Sorry…" He whispered to her and right behind him was Andrew DeLuca. Another doctor from Grey Sloan.

"DeLuca." Andy noticed him and looked at Vic with a huge question mark on her forehead.

"I didn't know." Vic apologized. "Sorry."

"Hey. Sorry to crash your party." DeLuca said. Jackson walked closer to Vic and leaned in for a swift kiss. Andy noticed how Vic smiled immediately. Maybe it was a strange way how to cope with losing Ripley but she looked quite happy with him so she could go with it too.

"He had a rough day."

"Oh, really?" Andy asked and they all sat down to one booth.

"Can we not talk about it?" Andrew asked and they had no problem with that. First couple of minutes were a bit awkward but soon they started to chat and they quite enjoyed the time together. When somebody selected one particular LP in the juke-box Jackson grinned and pulled Vic to dance. She tried to fight him but in the end she let him drag her to the small dance floor.

Andy and Andrew stayed alone.

"It's weird." He said.

"No, it's not. Or what is?" Andy asked and it made him smile.

"So what happened?" She asked him referring to his bad day.

"Let me give you an advice. When you think somebody doesn't respect you enough, don't tell them to take time and think about things."

"Oh you didn't."

"I did. And apparently it meant I broke up with her which I really didn't want to."

"That sucks."

"Yeah."

"Why did you ask her to take time?"

"Because I thought she couldn't let go of her dead husband."

"Ouch. Now that's not good." Andy said and DeLuca only shrugged and finished his drink.

"Did you try to talk to her?"

"I did but in the meantime someone new came to the hospital and you know what? The rumor says he's a gift from her friend. Would you believe that?"

"Oh my God, you're talking about the guy from Switzerland."

"How do you know about him?"

"I heard Warren talking about him. He was called to check on a baby that was left at 19."

"Great. So you know."

"Sorry… but at least she didn't pick her career over you." Andy said, a bit tipsy. Maybe it was a mistake but well…

"That happened to you?"

"Yeah."

"Well then he's an idiot." DeLuca said and Andy smiled at him.

"Or I am."

"Why?"

"Because I thought he really cared. I really believed it."

"So maybe he does care and the promotion is just an excuse."

"For what?"

"Well… from my experience? Fear." He told her and she just leaned back and looked at him like he was crazy. Sullivan and being afraid? That didn't really make any sense.

"You know maybe he cares too much. And if there are no obstacles in your way…" He offered but noticed the way she looked at that remark.

"Your boss too?" He asked as she knew that particular look all too well. Andy didn't answer. He noticed her glass was empty so he got up and got them both another drink.

Vic and Jackson were watching them from the dance floor and both were quite surprised about what they saw was happening.

"Hey did you bring him on purpose?" she asked him.

"No, he just really had a rough day and I thought he could use the drink."

"They seem pretty cozy there huh." Vic asked and Jackson grinned at her.

"Don't think about that. He's head over heels with Mer."

"Still?"

"Yeah…"

"Well, she's not exactly open to suggestions either." Vic told him but didn't elaborate further.

"So maybe they're just relaxing." Jackson offered and she could agree with that. They seemed pretty relaxed. After some rather serious debate they were grinning now, drinking, eating pretzels and French-fries. When they joined them they actually had quite a nice evening.

Vic and Jackson didn't really know how to handle the part where they would say goodbye. They didn't really want to say goodbye but Vic felt bad for dragging Andy here and then leaving her all alone. Andrew noticed though. And so did Andy.

"Don't worry, Vic, just go. I'll be fine."

"No, that's stupid."

"I'll take a cab." Andy said.

"I'll make sure she gets home okay." DeLuca answered and Jackson grinned at him. Ever the gentleman huh. That and that Italian accent were huge part of his charm. Andy thought differently about it but she was happy that Vic and Jackson left together so they could have a nice evening.

"Come on, let's get you a cab." Andrew said and Andy resigned. When he was closing the door behind her, she smiled at him.

"Thanks, DeLuca. For the evening." She said and meant it sincerely.

"Yeah, same. Good luck, Herrera."

"Don't give up." She told him and he smiled at her sadly.

"You too." He replied and closed the door, deciding to walk home.

In the morning the crew of 19 met in the beanery and Montgomery asked Hughes about Andy.

"Did you talk to her? Is she okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, she will. We talked."

"Really?"

"Relax, Trav. I dragged her out yesterday evening."

"She came home pretty happy." Maya said, that one desperate part wanted to be part of this crew winning for that moment and trying to participate. Montgomery looked at her with uneasiness but Vic just grinned. At first she didn't really want to say anything but as Sullivan just arrived and greeted them, wanting to grab some coffee and breakfast with them as he sometimes would the past months, Vic decided to test a theory.

"I bet she was happy. Jackson brought DeLuca." Vic said and kept on glancing on Sullivan.

"DeLuca? That hot Italian doctor?" Montgomery asked, totally oblivious to what was going on beside him.

"Yep. They seemed to enjoy the evening veery much. He even offered to take her home." Vic added and looked directly at Sullivan.

"Morning, Sir." She greeted him with a smile on her face and left to sit down at the table. She had her confirmation. Sullivan was far from okay. That guy looked like somebody just punched him in the gut. So maybe things weren't so black and white after all.


	5. Chapter 5

_I love you guys! I love your reviews and love your ideas. I have to admit I enjoyed torturing Sullivan a bit and I am still mad at Maya... but I don't want this story to take a wild dark turn... so let's try to wrap it up to a somewhat better ending, okay?_

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Sullivan knew he had to get his act together. It was a shock to hear Hughes talk about Herrera spending her evening with some doctor from Grey Sloan but well he couldn't really blame her now, could he? He was the one to tell her to take the week off. He was the one to shut down all her hopes. She did offer him choices, she tried to find a way so they could be together. And he just dismissed those and decided to hide behind the safe bet which was focusing on the promotion.

Hell, he was no idiot. He could very well remember how they talked about this, how they talked about the two of them for one being on the same page and two not being able to be together. Damn, he wanted to kiss her to silence her in that Aid Car when she asked him if she was the only one who felt all that. She wasn't. Damn, she wasn't.

But now it seemed like she decided to change attitude. Well, it was literally none of his business as he was the one to make it clear that there would be no "them" in the future. But it still hurt. And he felt something he hadn't felt in a long time. He was jealous! He was jealous of that doctor and of the time he spent with her in a bar.

He had to leave the beanery as soon as he told them about their duties and chores that needed to be done for the day. He needed to leave and close the door behind him when he came to his office so he could take a deep breath and find a way how to focus properly on his work because all he could think about was Andy.

After the talk, well if he could call it a talk, with Pruitt, he felt like somebody kicked him. But right now, he felt even worse. The facts were simple. He did fall in love with her. He was happy when he realized she might feel the same. He was scared to death in L.A. and crossed a line in that pool. And he was a coward because so far there were only two people in the department aware of his health issue after coming back from L.A. and she was not one of them. He should have told her; he knew but he couldn't. And so he pushed her away and hoped she would just forget and move on.

Well, he was wrong. She didn't move on. She kept on trying to find a way and to his surprise, he realized that she hadn't kissed him just because of some adrenalin rush but because she cared about him. For real.

And he wanted to be with her, he really did. But he couldn't do it. He couldn't. He wanted to believe it was to protect her and her promotion. He really did. But the truth was different, and he would have to face his own fears and actions – and the consequences of those.

So far, the worst wasn't that he missed her like crazy but that the mere idea of her sleeping with some doctor drove him wild with jealousy. And he knew he had no right to be jealous. But he didn't give a damn. He was jealous and he needed to punch something. Or someone.

He was torn from his thoughts by the dispatch calling for Aid Car and Engine. And so his day started and he had a lot of opportunities to forget about his feelings and miserable thoughts. He hoped he would forget about Andy, but he missed her on the calls. It was clear to him that she was a vital part of the crew and he couldn't really imagine his life – and work – without her.

The week passed rather quickly. Nobody from the crew got hurt which was a good thing. Bishop and Gibson obviously worked it out because they could work together without causing anyone to blush or scream. Nobody knew that they met in the evening right after the talk with Sullivan to talk it through. Gibson just waited for her to say something and she didn't know what to say. So they just watched each other and then Gibson asked her if she wanted him out of the Station.

"What?"

"Do you want me to ask for the transfer?"

"You would do that?"

"Yeah. I would."

"Why?"

"Do you want me to?" He asked her instead of giving her a straight reply.

"No, I don't." She told him because she really didn't want to.

"So we keep on working together?"

"Yeah. I think we can manage, don't you?"

"Okay." He said and left the beanery. Maya watched him go and one part of her felt something she didn't recognize. She could have gotten it wrong but it seemed like Gibson genuinely cared about her and wanted to make it easier for her. He was hurting, she knew, but he offered to be a gentleman and leave the Station he loved as his home. For her. Maya felt like crying but stopped herself. She wouldn't do that.

Gibson walked home that night and still didn't understand what exactly happened. He knew Bishop was competitive and wanted to make it to Captain one day but he doubted she was the one to end things with him just because of it – especially because everyone knew about them. It was no secret and it was not against the rules. So what was her problem, really?

Well, they made it work. They were far from okay but they made it work and didn't make others uncomfortable with sarcastic remarks. Sullivan was glad and told them both so.

"You were worried, Sir?" Jack asked him.

"Yeah. I don't want to lose you. Either of you." He said sincerely and Gibson could tell that he meant it. Maybe they didn't start with the right foot when he came to the Station, well maybe in training… but he was a good man and he could respect him quite a lot.

When the week passed Andy and Maya still haven't talked about what happened. They were tiptoeing around each other at home and barely spoke. Neither wanted to start the inevitable conversation and face the consequences.

On the last evening before Andy's return back to work they were both at home. They met in the kitchen, silently made dinner and ate it. Andy wasn't about to make it easy for her and Maya didn't think she should be the one to start this conversation. But she truly missed her friend.

"Andy…" She started in the end when they were washing the dishes.

"Yeah?"

"Talk to me."

"Why?"

"Because you're my friend."

"Am I now?" Andy asked. "Last time we spoke it didn't seem like it." She said and knew it was tough but it was the truth.

"Look, I know you don't agree with what I did. About Gibson."

"It's not about me not agreeing, Maya. It's…"

"You care about him."

"He's my friend. And so are you. And I don't understand it. That's all." Andy said and watched Maya sit down on the couch and think about how to respond to her.

"I don't know how to explain it right now."

"Okay…" Andy could live with that. She still didn't like it. "How do you make it work?"

"Like did you make it work?" Bishop asked instead and Andy chuckled sadly.

"You know, you were there, remember. It was awkward at first but then we focused on the job and the friendship sort of came on its own." Andy said and hoped it made sense.

"We talked. He offered to leave 19."

"He would do that so you could stay?"

"Yeah."

"Oh, Maya…."

"Don't, all right? I can't do this. Not now." She asked as she truly didn't want to analyze it. Andy nodded. They knew they weren't okay but they were a bit better and that counted too.

"Andy you and Sullivan…"

"Maya I already told you…"

"I know. I just…"

"What?"

"Are you okay?" Maya asked for the first time since their argument.

"I don't know. We'll see tomorrow."

"We missed you," Maya told her sincerely. "It's not the same when one of us isn't there."

"I just have to get through the day. And then another. And another. Till I don't care anymore." Andy said with a hint of sadness and regret in her voice.

"Have you talked to your father?" Maya asked. "What was he doing in that bar?"

"I tried to, but he doesn't want to talk to me," Andy said and Maya knew that even though their argument was bad, the one she had with her dad was way worse. And it seemed like Captain Herrera still didn't feel comfortable talking to his own daughter. It had to be killing Andy because she truly loved her father. And this situation had to be tough on her.

"He'll come around."

"I don't know… it's like he's hiding something. Or he's just angry at me. I'm nothing but a big disappointment for him."

"That's not true," Maya said but Andy didn't want to talk about that.

"You've got the morning shift too?" She asked Maya.

"I do."

"We go together?" Andy asked and both knew it was the best peace offering she could do now. The first step to recovery. Maya smiled at her.

"Sure. Night, Andy."

"Night, Maya," Andy said and left to her room to get some sleep. She was still mad at her and she was still hurt. But after Ripely died she promised herself to try to always solve these situations. With their line of duty, their future was unsure, and she didn't want to have any regrets. That much she understood, it was a lesson hard learned.

Andy wasn't sure if Maya really didn't care about Gibson or was just scared. And of course, these thoughts brought her to Robert. Did he really change his mind and doesn't care about her anymore or was Andrew right and he's just scared? She didn't know and didn't have the courage to take a wild guess. Not that it would matter anyway.

When they all met in the morning at the Station, Andy felt better. She was back home. She was where she belonged, and she wouldn't let her Captain ruin that for her. She just had to find a way and she knew she would. The conversation at the table was a bit awkward but well that would take time. She wasn't really herself the past weeks and knew her friends didn't believe her about not sleeping with their boss. But she decided to keep the past in the past and just move forward. And so she tried to do that, and it seemed others understood and followed her lead.

They tried to bring her up to speed on the events from the last week and it seemed to help. The conversation was flowing more easily and she even caught herself smiling from time to time.

She knew the moment Sullivan came to the beanery. Her instincts shouted at her, her whole body reacted, she had to take a deep breath but only Vic who was right across her noticed as she saw her closing her eyes for longer than necessary. Well, she decided to help her friend a bit and before Sullivan had a chance to say good morning Vic asked Andy if she would go for a drink with her again.

"Sure. Why not." Andy replied. And Vic was waiting for that exact moment.

"Maybe DeLuca will join us again. It was fun." Vic knew she was being evil but she had her own theory about what happened between Andy and Sullivan and she was determined to either fix it – fix them – or at least torture the guy a bit for hurting Herrera more than any man did before. Andy wasn't sure why would Vic suggest it.

"Yeah, he's a nice guy," Andy said sincerely.

"Don't forget he's hot," Montgomery added.

"Who's hot?" Warren asked as he was just sitting down.

And that was the last straw Sullivan could take apparently as he greeted them all with good morning people and grabbing a cup of coffee he came to them.

"Good morning, Sir," Andy said politely and even managed to look him in the eye.

"Morning, Herrera. Welcome back." He said and meant every word although knew she wouldn't see it that way.

"Thank you, Sir." She replied as properly as she could. He wanted her to respect him and be the perfect officer, she would do it, she would be it.

It took Sullivan a moment longer than usual before he gave them their tasks. He had to pay extra attention so he wouldn't keep on glancing at Andy. She seemed happy, somehow. She seemed… different. Well, what did he expect, huh? That she would look miserable? Maybe Gibson was right. He was an idiot. But he had his reasons and although he wasn't ready to face some of them, the rest were good reasons and he had to believe he did the right thing. He just had to.

And so their days passed and soon another week passed them by. Things were running rather smoothly at the Station and the only one not coping well with the changes and new arrangements seemed to be Sullivan. He wouldn't have breakfast with them anymore. He wouldn't join them for drinks and he mostly stayed in his office – aside from time on calls. He was polite and he paid attention to his people so he gave Montgomery two free days when his boyfriend came for a visit, he let Hughes change her shift so she could spend some time with Dr. Avery. He still wasn't sure how that happened but he knew people coped differently so if this was her way of coping with losing Lucas, he couldn't really say anything. He hadn't coped with that so far so… yeah.

He noticed Andy never joked around him. He noticed how she acted and knew they were back to the beginning. They drifted apart so much that he could barely call himself her friend. He was just her Captain. She did as he asked her to, she found a way to treat him the respect he deserved as her Captain and she tried really hard to be part of the crew again. But he knew her well enough, or at least he thought so, to know that something was wrong. But he lost his right to ask these questions when he killed all the hope she had.

It was difficult for him, maybe even more than it was for her. And he was the only one to blame. When he lost Lucas he promised himself not to wait another lifetime to fix broken relationships, he promised himself to try harder and do better when it came to important people in his life. But he failed in that… the woman he cared about so much it scared him to death was out of reach and getting further and further and instead of accepting her help and trying to fix their broken relationship he destroyed it completely. He was the reason shy had to try to rebuild her reputation now, because of him and how he treated her she had to find her way to her friends and from what he knew her relationship with her father was damaged so much it was out of control.

He did all that. He did that to someone he lo… well, no point in finally admitting that, right?


	6. Chapter 6

When the last call came, they were all exhausted. But the shift wasn't over so they had to get up and go. There was a fire reported. It was in one of those bigger estates, a family home but well let's say it was a big home. Two floors, basement, gym, swimming pool…

When they all arrived to the scene it was like a scene from hell. Sullivan already had a report from the first unit on the scene, guys from 23 but the reality was quite different, a lot worse. Sullivan looked at Andy because that house with that pool reminded him of the house in L.A. and to his surprise she was looking right back at him. It didn't last long but she nodded then at him and he nodded back.

Sullivan started giving orders and his people followed them. Guys from 23 already checked the area for civilians and it was clear. There was just a garage left to check and hopefully the fire wouldn't spread that way till they knew nobody was there.

It wasn't easy. Soon they knew that it wasn't about saving the house any longer. It was about trying to contain the fire and not letting it burn houses in the vicinity. Things weren't going exactly smoothly but so far they had it under control. At least they thought so before the cops came to secure the area. One of them ran to Sullivan and asked him if he was the captain.

"Yes." Sullivan answered.

"Sir we have a report from the family. They had a live-in nanny. They don't know where she is. They are visiting relatives but she stayed here in Seattle." The cop told him.

"Oh shit." Sullivan said and immediately reached for his radio.

"Listen up, people. We have one possible victim. The family has a nanny and we don't know about her whereabouts. So pay attention."

"Sir what about the garage?" Bishop asked over the radio. "Was there apartment above?"

"Let me check." Sullivan said and ran over to Lieutenant from 23 who had the blueprints of the house and the area. He checked and knew their day got from bad to worse.

"It can be. It was under reconstruction." Sullivan told them.

"Who's the closest to the garage for check?" Gibson asked over the radio.

"I am." Andy replied.

"Can you grab a bottle and go check it out?" Sullivan asked.

"Yes, Sir." Andy replied.

"I'll go with her." Warren replied as they were together nearby the garage.

"Do not risk your lives, you hear me?" Sullivan asked. "If it looks unstable or the risk is too high just get the hell out of there." He ordered them.

Andy and Warren geared up and ran to the garage. The fire wasn't there yet, only smoke so it was possible the nanny was there, unconscious.

In the meantime the rest of 19 and crew from 23 managed to contain the fire and it started to die down. The house was lost but the surrounding area was clear and safe.

When the explosion came they were all surprised. Everyone looked around, crouching on the ground, trying to locate the source of it.

"Everyone okay?" Sullivan asked and one by one his people reported to him.

"Warren? Herrera?!" He yelled to his radio as they didn't report in.

"We're okay." Warren replied after a moment. Sullivan visibly relaxed.

"Anyone know where it came from?" Bishop asked.

"The tool house." Andy replied. "It came from the tool house."

"Damned. Did you locate the nanny?"

"Negative. We have two more rooms to cover." Andy replied and thought Sullivan would tell them to leave the place.

"Herrera." Sullivan warned her.

"We'll be careful, Sir." She replied and with Warren they proceeded to check the last two rooms. They found the nanny in the first door they opened.

"We've got her! I'm taking her out." Warren said and Andy stayed behind to check the last room just to be sure.

Warren took the nanny out and the Aid Car from 23 was parked nearby so the guys took care of her. Warren was slowly trying to catch his breath when there was a loud noise that made the blood in his veins freeze. It appeared that the building structure had been compromised. One of the walls fell down. And Andy was still in the building.

"Herrera?!" Warren yelled but there was no response.

By then Sullivan was already there and just looked at Warren in horror.

"She didn't come out." Warren said.

"I'm coming in for her." Sullivan said and without thinking about it twice he ran into the building.

"Sir! No! It's unstable!" Warren tried. But there was no point.

"Talk to us, Ben!" Gibson called into the radios.

"Andy didn't come out. Sullivan went in for her." Warren said and felt absolutely horrible. He could only stand there and watch. There was literally nothing he could do to help.

"Hughes, drive over here. We might need you." He said and Vic immediately started the Aid Car and drove over to the part of the property where she could if needed drive straight out and take the fastest way to the hospital.

Sullivan knew he just made a mistake but he couldn't care less. He tried calling Andy but there was no response. It didn't take him a minute but it felt like eternity till he found her. She was on the ground, partially covered with debris. Her helmet was nowhere to be seen and her head was bleeding.

"I've got her. She's hurt." He reported. Vic and Warren already had the gurney ready with the jump-bags.

Sullivan moved the debris and parts of clothing and furniture and as he heard another part of the wall crumble someplace in the garage he picked her up and carried her outside.

"Warren!" He yelled when he got out, laying Andy on the gurney. Warren got to work and Sully helped him. Vic assisted. She put the C-collar on her and stopped the bleeding on her head. She placed the pads on Andy's chest and the band on her arm and the heart monitor started to beep madly.

"That's not good." Warren said.

"Check her for other injuries." Vic suggested and so they did just that. To them their movements seemed slow but in reality there were moving really fast.

Sullivan found a blood stain on her leg.

"Her leg." He said and cut the fabric out to see. She had a deep wound there, it was bleeding and her leg started to swell.

"Damned." Warren cursed and tried to stop the bleeding. "It won't stop."

"Ben. You can do it." Vic said and he nodded. He took a scalpel and opened the wound a bit more so he had better access.

"Sir I need your help." He told Sullivan and he immediately did exactly what Ben told him. Soon Sullivan had his fingers inside Andy's leg.

"The bleeding stopped."

"Yeah but she needs to get to hospital right now." Warren said. "If they don't restore the blood flow to her leg…" He didn't finish but they all knew what that meant.

"Can you hold it, Sir?" He asked Sullivan. "In case the clamps are not enough."

"You bet. Get her to hospital." He said.

"You stay with them Warren. I've got this." Vic said and helped Ben load Andy to the Aid Car. Ben stayed in the back with Sullivan who still had his hand inside Andy's open wound. Vic drove them to Grey Sloan in no time. On their way Sullivan radioed the rest of the crew and the dispatch so they would take care of the scene in his absence.

He was worried sick. Andy wasn't stable. She lost a lot of blood, her turnout was soaked. She was so pale and sweaty. The heart monitor wasn't beating steadily and it scared him to death. How could this happen?

Ben informed dispatch about the condition of his patient and asked for both general surgeon and ortho specialist.

Sullivan was silent the whole way. He held the clamps in place and let Warren administer medicine, check her vitals and just do his job. When they arrived, Ben was glad to see Meredith and Lincoln there. Both were the best.

"Hey Ben, talk to me." Meredith said and he walked her through the injuries.

"Trauma one." She told the staff.

Sullivan didn't say a word. Lincoln tried to assess the leg but he couldn't see much.

"I need an x-ray." He said.

"They'll have the portable one ready in the OR." One of the nurses told him.

Lincoln looked at Sullivan who still had his hand inside Andy's leg.

"Okay, we stop the bleeding here and then go to the OR to repair the tissue damage and I'll take care of her bones." He informed Sullivan who seemed to be waiting for some news. He didn't reply though.

"You can let go now." Meredith told him. "On my count." And she counted from one to three. On three Sullivan let go and stepped aside. The doctors immediately took over and in no time the wheeled Andy away to the OR.

Sullivan stayed outside the trauma room, his hands and arms covered in Andy's blood, his shirt stained. He was still silent. Vic found him there. She had to park first but she wasn't leaving them. She was worried too. And not only about Andy. Warren came to Vic.

"How is she?" Vic asked.

"I don't know yet. It's too early. Maybe I saved her leg and maybe the exact opposite." He told Vic and she tried to reassure him.

"Hey Vic…" He said and they looked at Sullivan.

"Yeah I know…" She replied.

"I never wanted to ask…"

"So don't because I don't know anything." Vic said and he gave her a very doubtful look. But he could see for himself.

"Just look at him." Warren told her. That man wore his heart on his sleeve in that moment.

"He should wash up." She mentioned as she noticed the blood too. She didn't elaborate on the other part of the obvious. Their Captain was… worried sick and not only about a member of his crew. The scared man sitting on the ground was worried about someone he cared about very deeply.

Warren agreed and walked over to Sullivan. He had an idea.

"Sir, let's get you cleaned up." He told him and Sullivan just kept on sitting on the ground, leaning against the wall. Warren was starting to get worried.

"Sir?"

"Yeah." Sullivan said and in a minute got up. "I…." He wanted to say something, totally shell-shocked.

"Come with me." Warren said.

"I'll wait here." Vic promised and so Sullivan went with Warren. He took him to a bathroom where he could wash away that blood. He also brought him clean scrubs so at least he could have a clean shirt instead of his bloody one. Vic in the meantime managed to get him hot chocolate. She needed one herself.

* * *

_Sorry guys I am totally worn out. I will finish it during the weekend. Sorry!_


	7. Chapter 7

_I don't know about you but I hate what they're doing to Sullivan and his character… the whole episode didn't leave me with the whoaaaa what a rush feeling but what the hell is going on feeling. Bah. So… let's hope they'll make it better soon! Although with the name of the next episode being Eulogy I highly doubt it._

_Sorry if it is not what you were hoping for, I just needed to write such chapter and end the story in this way after the last episode..._

* * *

When Warren and Sullivan came back, Sullivan looked a bit better. It was strange to see him in the scrubs but Vic could understand all too well that it was much better than having blood of someone you… well care about all over you.

She handed him the cup with hot chocolate. He looked at her questioningly but took it anyway.

"Figured you could use the boost." She told him and he had to smile a bit as he smelled it.

"I can't remember the last time I had hot chocolate." He told her and she could hear the worry and sadness in his voice.

"Well, not so hot anymore." She replied and he just thanked her.

"Do you know anything?" He asked then.

"No, she's still in surgery." Vic replied.

Warren's phone beeped. He got a message from his wife. She was worried about him.

"Everything okay?" Sullivan asked.

"No, it's Miranda. She heard they brought one of us and got worried."

"Go and see her." Sullivan told him. Warren looked at Vic and she nodded.

"Just go, Ben." She said and he left them. Vic sat down into one of those chairs she hated so much and kept Sullivan company. Not that he would talk to her or even look like he wanted the company in the first place. But he was there for her when she lost Lucas and she just didn't want to leave him alone when he was this worried about Andy.

Vic noticed someone and got up. It was DeLuca. He noticed her too and walked over to her.

"Hey Hughes, what are you doing here?"

"Andy got hurt."

"Is she okay?" He asked, worriedly.

"Still in surgery." Sullivan replied and DeLuca almost immediately understood who this man was.

"Let me check." He offered.

"Thanks, DeLuca." Vic replied and he left to the OR to see if he could bring them any news.

It took Sullivan a moment to connect the dots. So this was DeLuca. The hot doctor as Montgomery said. The one who seemed to enjoy Andy's company in the bar. Well, Sullivan just refused to admit that even now he was jealous. He knew he had no right. He lost that right. Well, he never had it.

"Did you call her father?" He asked Hughes as they were waiting for some news.

"I tried to but he wasn't available. I'll try again soon."

"I'll do it. It was my call, she's my responsibility." He said in his Captain voice and left no room for questioning it.

"Okay." Vic agreed. She knew that it had to be hell of a call to make in his position. The rumor mill spread the word about Pruitt being pretty mad at Andy and at Sullivan too. It just fueled the gossips about them sleeping together. But Vic didn't believe that. No, something else was going on. If it was just sex – bad or good – they wouldn't act like this. Andy wouldn't take the week and wouldn't tell her all those things. She wouldn't be heartbroken and she wouldn't cry her eyes out over it. Nope, this was different from sleeping with your boss on adrenalin rush.

And watching Sullivan now she had her confirmation. He was worried sick. More than he should be in his position. Nope, some much deeper feelings were involved here and the only question was what the hell was actually going on?!

Andrew came back from the OR. Sullivan immediately made few steps in his direction.

"So?"

"They stopped the bleeding and repaired the tissue damage. They're working on fixing the shattered bone now. It's too soon to know more." Andrew told him with compassion and understanding. So this was the man the Herrera kind of loved. Well from what he could see he definitely was just hiding from fear. He clearly cared about her so the promotion talk crap as Andy called it was just to cover up the real reason. What was the real reason he had no idea though. Sullivan started to pace the room.

"Hey, Hughes, is he okay?" DeLuca asked Vic as Sullivan just kept on walking around, deep in thought.

"No, he had her blood all over him."

"Damn. That's tough. Even for you guys." DeLuca said and Vic could only agree.

"DeLuca, does he seem to you like someone who cares more about promotion than about her?" Vic asked. Andrew looked at her like she was crazy but watched him for a moment.

"No, he doesn't." Andrew answered. Vic just smiled at him sadly. Yeah, they both could see it. Andrew had to go but told Vic to call him if they needed him. He gave her his number. She thanked him and kept the paper in her pocket.

Sullivan came to sit down after another half an hour and he looked exhausted. He tried calling Pruitt but his phone was turned off. Vic called the crew few minutes ago to update them. They were still on the scene and couldn't come so she at least kept them posted.

Sullivan had his head in his palms, elbows on his knees, he looked horrible. Defeated. Broken. Lost. Vic could feel his worry and she could understand it only too well. Maybe it was a bad idea but she reached over and squeezed his knee. He looked at her and didn't know what to say.

"She'll be okay." She said and he still had no response for her. He straightened up and after another minute passed, he reached for her hand and squeezed it back. All those emotions being too much for him, he got up and started to pace again.

Warren came back and when he saw the situation, he sat down next to Vic. And so they waited. When finally Meredith and Lincoln came from the OR, Sullivan was ready to pass out from exhaustion. They all stood there together.

"Doc?" Sullivan asked worried.

"We stopped the bleeding, repaired the tissues and ligaments and fully restored the blood flow into her leg and foot." Meredith said.

"I fixed the rest." Lincoln said and tried to smile at those people encouragingly.

"Did you call her dad?"

"We tried but he wasn't available. We'll keep trying." Vic replied.

"We're taking her to ICU now. She breathes on her own and should wake up soon." Meredith said.

"The recovery won't be easy but she should be just fine." Lincoln added.

"Can we see her?" Sullivan asked then and surprised himself along with others by that request. As he asked the nurses were just wheeling her out of the OR. They stepped aside to make them room and Sullivan just helplessly watched them go.

"She shouldn't be alone when she wakes up." Warren tried to suggest. He knew that they were not family members so they couldn't let them to the ICU but he could understand Sullivan's desire to be there.

"Well you're still on her list so unless she changes her mind you can sit with her." Meredith said as she checked Andy's card. "Come with me." She told Sullivan who didn't look so pale anymore. Even with his dark skin it was obvious he was blushing.

"I'll try her father again…" Sullivan said.

"I'll call the crew." Vic said and reached for her phone. They nodded at each other and then their ways parted. Warren stayed to talk to Lincoln and they both watched Meredith as she walked with embarrassed Sullivan.

"Yes?" Montgomery asked as Vic called him. "Any news?"

"Yeah." Vic said.

"Wait a moment I'll put you on speaker." Montgomery said as they were all waiting at the station for news. He put his phone on the speaker so everyone could hear her.

"Andy's out of surgery. She's breathing on her own. They fixed her leg. She should be okay." Vic said and heard all those deep exhales coming from the other end of the line.

"Did you see her?" Miller asked.

"We did. But they're taking her to ICU now. So no visitors till she's in regular room."

"Keep us in the loop, okay?" Gibson asked. He was worried about Andy and was anxious to get to the hospital.

"I will. She should wake up soon. I'll let you know." She told them. The call ended and the crew stayed at the Station. Nobody wanted to go home.

Meredith showed Sullivan to Andy's room. He was nervous.

"Are you okay?"

"I don't know." He answered truthfully.

"Sit with her, hold her hand, talk to her. Trust me, it helps."

"She'll wake up sooner?"

"Well that too but it will make you feel better." She said and left him in the room.

Sullivan pulled a chair closer to Andy and sat down. He wasn't sure she would want him there but at that moment he didn't care. He needed to be there. And as the doctor said, till she told him to go he would stay. She was so pale, her hair sweaty, all around her face, her leg propped on a pillow, in a cast, with wires and tubes in it. The machines were beeping steadily and he watched her chest rise and fall in a rhythm.

Sullivan felt tears in his eyes and to his surprise he thought about Hughes and how strong she had to be when she sat with Luke when he died. Well Andy wasn't about to die which brought him comfort but she was hurt. She got hurt on his watch. He'd never forget the image of her lying on the floor covered with debris with the gash on her forehead. It was covered now, she needed stitches but it would heal.

Vic and Warren went to the cafeteria to get something to eat. They agreed they wouldn't leave. Vic desperately wanted to talk about everything that happened but wasn't sure about Warren's view on the topic. So they stayed on neutral topics. They wanted to give Sullivan some privacy before coming up to stay in the waiting area at least.

Sullivan took out his phone and tried calling Pruitt again. And this time it rang and he picked up.

"Sullivan?"

"Pruitt. Finally."

"I was on a call and my phone died. What's up? I have bunch of missed calls."

"Andy got hurt."

"What? Is she okay? Where is she? What happened?" Her father started shooting questions.

"She's at Grey Sloan. She's out of surgery now. She'll be fine."

"I can be there in an hour. Is someone with her?" Pruitt said, worried sick despite the anger and disappointment he felt towards his daughter.

"I'm here with Hughes and Warren." Sullivan said. He didn't want to say anything that would make Pruitt get into a car accident or anything. Sullivan put his phone down and finally reached over and grabbed Andy's hand. Doctor Grey was right, it did brought him comfort when he could feel her warm hand.

It took Andy almost an hour before she woke up. By then both Vic and Warren were in the waiting area outside the room. They both watched as Sullivan held Andy's hand, totally oblivious to them. When she woke up she couldn't focus at first.

"Andy, hey… slowly. It's okay. It's okay." He repeated. He looked outside and saw both Hughes and Warren getting up and smiling at him. He nodded back. He turned back to Andy and watched her as she finally focused on her surroundings.

"What hap-happened?" She said slowly, quietly. She couldn't talk. "Water…" She whispered and he got up and reached for a cup with a straw.

"Slowly, okay." He instructed and she took a sip.

"What…" She tried again.

"Shhh… " He said and reached for her hand again. She didn't protest. "You got hurt on the call. A wall crumbled on you after the explosion." He said.

"Warren and the nanny?" She asked.

"They're fine. We all are." He assured her. "Andy, I…" He wanted to say something but in that moment Meredith came through the door. She didn't close it. Maybe it was a mistake and maybe it was on purpose so those two outside could hear the news too.

"Hey Herrera."

"Hey…"

"You gave us quite a scare. How are you feeling?" Meredith asked and Andy answered, they talked about the surgery and about what was about to happen. Sullivan stayed in the room the whole time. He stood out of the way but he just couldn't leave. He knew he should but he couldn't.

He felt like an idiot.

"If you need anything, just press the button, okay?"

"Okay. Thank you." Andy replied. Meredith left and kept the door open.

Sullivan stood nervously in the room and Andy looked at him curiously.

"They let you in to the ICU?" She asked.

He looked very uncomfortable. "You kept me on your list of contacts." He said. Andy looked surprised but then she smiled.

"True…" She said and couldn't believe she had actually kept him there. They put each other on the list after the Aid Car accident so the doctors would let allow them visits.

"You're still on mine too." Sullivan admitted and Andy giggled. She didn't see that coming.

"Where's my dad?" She asked then as she realized he wasn't there. "Did anyone call him?"

"We did, don't worry. He was on a call and his phone died so it took us time to reach him but he's on his way. He should be here any minute." He said and when Andy looked sad suddenly he walked over to her, stood closer from the other side.

Before he could say anything, Andrew DeLuca came. Andy smiled instantly. He smiled back.

"Hey Andy."

"Andrew. Hi."

"I just need to check up on your levels and I'll be out soon."

"It's okay." Andy said and let him do his work. She answered his questions and he made her smile and grin quite a few times. Sullivan felt like an idiot but stayed where he was.

"If you want me to go…" He offered when DeLuca leaved. Andy closed her eyes for a moment.

"I don't…" She said, tears in her eyes as she looked up at him. "Don't go." She added.

"Andy…" He tried to say something.

"I just don't understand." She said then. Sullivan sat down next to her bed.

"Why are you here?" She asked. "I thought you…" She couldn't finish.

Before answering he handed her the cup with the straw again. She took a sip. Then he helped her to adjust the pillow so she was lying more comfortably.

Sullivan was nervous. He reached over and took her hand again. Andy watched their fingers and waited for him to work up the nerve to tell her what he needed.

"I'm sorry, Andy. I'm so sorry." He started. "I shouldn't have pushed you away."

"What are you saying?" She asked, confused from the situation and anesthesia.

"After L.A. I shouldn't have told you to go. I panicked."

"Why?"

"I couldn't feel my leg. And so I panicked. I couldn't move it for hours. That's why I took two weeks leave. I was in hospital."

"Robert…" She said and squeezed his fingers. She didn't really know what to say to that.

"I… I started to think and …"

"Just say it." She said when he couldn't finish.

"You were right. I fell in love with you. And I didn't see it coming. I didn't understand and I didn't know what to do. I haven't felt anything like this ever since I lost my wife." He confessed and saw Andy's surprised look. She had tears in her eyes and it took all his willpower not to wipe them away.

"I was afraid." He added in half-whisper.

"So you thought pushing me away would make it better?" She asked unbelievingly.

"I didn't really think it through. I guess I hoped that you would just move on. I don't know… I… With the promotion opening I just…" He didn't know how to explain it.

"It hurt me." Andy said. He looked so guilty that it made her feel guilty. "I really wanted to make it work. And you just picked your promotion over me." She said.

"Forgive me. Please, forgive me." He asked. Andy was crying and Sullivan wasn't far from it too. She reached over and as he leaned his forehead against the side of her bed, she put her hand onto his head. Such a small contact but it made wonders.

"Why are you in scrubs?" She asked, trying to figure it out. Sullivan didn't know how to respond at first. He looked up at her.

"I had your blood all over me." He replied and proceeded to tell her all about what happened and how they got into the hospital. She couldn't believe it.

Sullivan got up then and sat down on the edge of her bed. If any of the nurses noticed, he would have to leave probably because he was quite sure he was not allowed to do that.

"I wasn't ready to face it. But then I saw you lying in that debris. Screw the promotion."

"What?" Andy didn't understand.

"I love you, Andrea Herrera. I love you. And I still don't know how to make it work but I don't want to hide from this anymore. I've sorted out my priorities and you're my number one." He said and Andy smiled at him through her tears.

"I know I hurt you and I will do everything I can to make it up to you. I promise." He told her and when she pulled him closer and let him rest his forehead against her, she felt him as he was shivering.

"Robert…" Andy said his name and they just stayed like that. Neither noticed that Pruitt was standing outside the open door. He heard great part of that conversation with Warren and Hughes right behind him. They exchanged worried glances.

Pruitt knocked on the doorframe and Sullivan almost jumped away from Andy. He looked like deer caught in the headlights then.

"Sir, I…" He wanted to explain but Pruitt stopped him.

"I've heard enough." He said and nobody knew how he meant it exactly. Sullivan got up from the bed to make room for Pruitt as he sat down to his daughter.

"Dad…"

"Don't say anything, mi hija." Pruitt said and caressed her hair.

"The doctor says you'll be okay."

"Yes. It seems so. I was lucky." She said and hated how emotional she was.

"So we talk later." Pruitt said, leaned over and kissed her forehead. "We'll find that way for you." Pruitt said so only she could hear him. She was surprised by that.

"Thank you." She replied. "I love you, dad." She said. He kissed her forehead again. He noticed how Warren was looking at him and shook his head no. Now was not the time to tell his daughter about his condition.

"Sullivan." Pruitt said and left. He wasn't ready to apologize to that man. He still crossed a line when it came to Andy. He failed as her Captain. But after witnessing them, after hearing their words, Pruitt understood that he indeed misjudged them both and treated them unfairly.

Vic and Warren came it, talked to Andy for a moment and then wished her quick recovery and promised to be back once she was in regular room. She thanked them. Vic gave her a knowing look when nobody else was looking and Andy got some of her color black to her face. They left and only Sullivan stayed.

"Robert…" Andy called his name and smiled. They were far from okay but he made the first step and she was so grateful she couldn't really put it into words. The healing on her heart and soul will take time but she was sure she'd make it.

He came to her and sat next to her again.

"Yes?"

"Don't do it again." She said and he chuckled, closing his eyes for a moment.

"I'm sorry I was an idiot." He said and she smiled at him.

"Can I…" He wanted to ask something but before he could finish, Andy jumped in with: "yes, please." And so he leaned in and kissed her softly, gently.

"What about DeLuca he asked then, still mere inches apart from her."

"Andrew loves Meredith." Andy said and made a mental note to ask Vic about this later. Did something happen aside from that intentionally overheard conversation in the beanery?

Andy started to yawn. She was exhausted. Sullivan got up, adjusted her pillow again, pulled the blanket up to her chin and sat into that chair again. He made himself comfortable, grabbed her hand and just smiled at her.

"Sleep…" He said and Andy smiled back.

"I love you." She whispered right before sleep claimed her.

Watching her sleep made Sullivan hyper aware of the fact that he loved her too. Maybe she would forgive him in time. Maybe he'd fix it all. Hopefully. Life gave him a second chance to love an incredible woman and he just needed to make it work.

Before he realized what was happening, he fell asleep too, still holding her hand. When the nurse came to check up on her patient, she just smiled, took another blanket, covered Sullivan at least a little bit and dimmed the lights. Closing the door behind her she let them both sleep.


End file.
